Re: Phoebe or Penelope?

I love Penelope for the reasons most mentioned - the great nicknames (Poppy, Penny, Nelle) and because it's a classic. I also think of the children's book Penelope Penguin that I always read as a child, and my mum still refers to to this day, haha. It's such a great name.

Pheobe on the otherhand is cute, but childish. I like it but would never use it myself. Penelope, I might.

Re: Phoebe or Penelope?

Well, Phoebe. =).
I like Penelope too, but personally I prefer snappier, less frilly names. Phoebe is just more usable to me. I also like Daphne, but am not fond of Chloe and Zoe.
I find Phoebe to be a very spunky name. I've never met another child other than my daughter named Phoebe, and always get complimented on it. I like the weird spelling, because I think it is a built-in popularity deterrent. (at least I hope so!!)

Re: Phoebe or Penelope?

I love both Phoebe and Penelope so much. Their quirkiness is so appealing. I think a lot of people get put off by the letter "P" which is quirky in itself. But, hey, make a muscle and be original. Phoebe is a classic Greek name, and so is Penelope. I love those classic names - lots of history.
Yes, Phoebe ends in an "ie" sound, but it's different because the sound is spelled "e". For me, that changes everything.
If you love Penelope and hate Penny, it's not so hard to get people to use an original nn like Poppy or Polly or Nell. I would just say, her nn is Polly - that's the nn I would use by the way.
I think of the two, my fave of the monent is Penelope, but it's a hard call.